


FIGI, Or: Wish You Were Here

by Paraprosdokia (ChangeableConsistency)



Series: Unconnected Phil Coulson Fics [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel, Marvel 616, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Fury can’t live without Phil, Gen, Nick Fury is a Bastard, Pre-Clint Barton/Phil Coulson, but he’s bad at using his words
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:09:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23738872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChangeableConsistency/pseuds/Paraprosdokia
Summary: Phil doesn’t like being dead, but he could have lived with it.Fury has other plans.
Relationships: Phil Coulson & Nick Fury
Series: Unconnected Phil Coulson Fics [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1709944
Kudos: 25





	FIGI, Or: Wish You Were Here

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate title: Do LMDs Dream of Electric Sheep 
> 
> FIGI: Framework Intelligence, Graphic Interface

“-fight for. What?” Phil had been bleeding out on the helicarrier deck one second, standing in an empty expanse of white space the next.

“Phil? Can you hear me?”

“Fury?”

“Good, it’s working.”

“What’s working? What’s going— FIGI? You did it, didn’t you? I died, right?”

“You always were quick on the uptake.”

“You know, I really figured dying would finally entitle me to a vacation.”

“I took you to Fiji, what more do you want?”

“FIGI, and I want to know why you didn’t let me stay dead.”

“I need you.”

“A lot of people need people. I’m not that special.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it.”

“You know what I mean. What’s the play here? I live out my,” Phil makes finger quotes, “‘Existence’ in a white void doing what? Consulting? Are you only going to turn me on when you need me? Or do I get to sit here twiddling my thumbs in between crises?”

“There’s always a crisis.”

“No. I’m not doing this, Marcus. I’m not letting you do this to me. You know I— Fuck. Not me. Phil Coulson is dead. That _he_ wouldn’t want this.”

“Too bad I’m not giving you a choice.”

“Fuck you. I always knew you were a cold hearted bastard—”

“You’re right, I am.”

“You can’t _make_ me go along with this farce. Or can you? Can you, Fury? Can you literally change my mind?”

Fury’s silence answers for him.

“So why haven’t you?”

“Because you wouldn’t be _you_. Look, it’s not all bad. I’m having an LMD built for you. It’s going to take time, but it will let you interact with the real world.”

“Oh, goody, a mobile prison.”

“No. No, once you’re downloaded, you’ll be left to your own devices. I know you’ll do the right thing.”

The thing is, Fury is right, damn his eyes. Eye. 

“I have conditions.”

“I thought you might.”

“You keep this need to know. The last thing he— anyone needs is a constant reminder of a dead guy.”

That’s not it, not really. It’s more selfish than that. He knows if he sees Clint, he’ll feel things he’s not meant to feel, was never meant to feel in the first place and now doubly so.

“Done.”

“You lojack the LMD and have technicians ready to disable it— me— before I inevitably go murderbot.”

“You’re not going to go—”

“I know the specs on project FIGI better than anyone. On a long enough time line it _is_ inevitable.”

“I have our best scientists working on the problem. It won’t come down to that.”

“It will. Which is why number three is a self destruct option.”

“No. No deal.”

“Then I guess I sit in the Nothing until you squish me into a Real Doll and then I sit in a warehouse gathering dust.”

“Fine. I know you’ve got more.”

“No more lies, not to me. Not through omission or word play or misdirection. I’m done trying to do my job without all the pieces to the puzzle.”

“I could say yes and be lying.”

“But you won’t.”

Fury sighs, “Is that everything? You want my first born? The moon? The lost print of the 1973 Captain America movie?”

“You have that?” Phil smiles for a second before returning to business, “There is one last thing: You get one. You don’t get to keep rebooting and redownloading me. If I’m going to be effective I can’t be immortal, there have to be consequences for my actions.”

“What makes you think this is the first time I’ve done this?”

Phil freezes for a second, but only a second, “Because I know you, and I know me. And I know you know I’ll find out if you lie to me about this. I know you don’t like hearing this, but there have to be consequences for your actions too.”

“You aren’t making this easy.”

“Do you want me, or do you want easy?”

“I’ll let Dr. Radcliffe know the additional parameters for your LMD.”

“And the rest?”

“I agree to your terms.”

“I thought you might. Now, what’s the crisis that prompted you to turn me on in the first place?”

“Crises,” suddenly there are screens all around him, almost like he’s in the Trisk’s control center. One of the screens flickers red around the edges and Phil reaches toward it. It comes to his fingers like a dog called to it’s master’s side.

“You’ll get a kick out of this. We’ll start in Fiji.”


End file.
